As you may know, the Improfanfic site
(www.improfanfic.com) is about to have another of
their Starter Sweepstakes. So I'm going to be
submitting an idea that's been kicking around in my
head for a while. Comments please!
FIREWORKS SEASON
Copyright 2000 by Scott K. Jamison
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock.
The bomb's timer sounded especially loud in the
parking garage. The four men standing around it in
their "typical salarymen" disguises had given up on
conversation, and instead were silently praying.
What could you say, anyways, when you had
dedicated yourself to dying? The courthouse above
them would be destroyed, along with agents of the
oppressors who'd come to work early. Oh, yes, and a
few innocent bystanders. But if those innocents were
members of the True Vision Temple, like the bombers,
then their entrance into Nirvana was assured. If not,
there was always the next life.
And it'd certainly keep their leader from going
on trial this morning. Tax evasion, indeed!
One of the bombers paused in his prayers and
looked up. The others did likewise when the sound of
footsteps grew louder, definitely approaching. They
couldn't afford to have the alarm spread. They
reached into their jackets for the small pistols their
leader had managed to get smuggled into the country.
The echoes of the parking garage had made the
footsteps sound more numerous than they actually were.
The people who appeared from around the bend numbered
only three: two tall men in black suits and dark
glasses, and a boy no older than seventeen, who wore a
denim jacket and jeans. His hair had a dyed blond
streak on one side, and he was grinning.
The boy was the one who spoke. "We know all
about your little bomb plot. So just throw down your
guns and surrender like good little cultists, huh?"
The four men looked at each other, slightly
baffled. One, slightly more worldly than the others,
replied "What do you think this is, an episode of
`Sharoku, Teen Detective'?"
The boy just grinned some more, while the two
flanking him looked slightly uncomfortable.
The bombers took out their guns, and shot the
intruders. Or rather, shot at them, since the bullets
simply stopped in mid-air.
"Behold the power of the Nullifier, gentlemen!"
The boy unzipped his jacket to reveal a t-shirt
emblazoned with a large black `N'. "I have the
ability to nullify any form of energy, such as the
kinetic energy of your bullets. Who knew I'd ever
actually use any of the stuff I learned in Physics?"
Not quite convinced they'd actually seen that,
the bombers fired again. These bullets met the same
fate.
They were spared the embarrassment of having to
throw their guns at the Nullifier when the two men in
dark glasses pulled out their own, much larger, guns
and fired back. These bullets were not halted, and
the bombers went down in a spray of blood and body
fluids.
"Like, that's totally bad karma, Tougo. I had
the situation under control," said the Nullifier to
one of the men in black.
"You know the rules, kid. No witnesses. You got
to do your super hero bit, but that's as far as it
goes," replied Tougo.
There was a bubbling chuckle from one of the
bombers, lying in a spreading crimson puddle. "Agents
of the oppressors, you have not won. There's a
deadman trigger on the bomb, speeds up the timer...no
way you can defuse it in time. Hail the True Vision!"
The Nullifier looked at the bomb's timer, which
was indeed now flashing through the countdown at
impossible speed. "Apparently, you weren't listening
before. I can nullify any kind of energy, including
the electrochemical reaction needed to set off this
fertilizer bomb."
The timer's lights shut off, and the Nullifier
began yanking wires out randomly as Tougo and the
other man in black checked to make sure the bombers
were dead.
"Well, it looks like I got all the connecting
wires. I am the man!" The Nullifier pumped his hand
in the air.
"I'm not going to argue with that, kid. I
suppose you'll want to stop at KFC on our way back to
HQ?"
"You bet, Tougo! Saving the day al--glk*" The
Nullifier pitched forward on his face, on top of the
bomber who'd done most of the talking.
The second man in black knelt carefully to avoid
the blood, and checked the boy's neck for a pulse,
then his eyes for a pupil response. There was
neither. "Dead."
Tougo sighed. "Damn. That makes three that've
died on me. Your fourth, right?"
The second man nodded. "At least he got all the
way through the mission. It's really annoying when
they conk out on you halfway in."
They left the parking garage, and the cleanup
crew came in to erase all traces of the incident.
* * * * * *
* * *
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock.
Jiichi Yamada watched the seconds tick by on his
grandfather clock. The only thing in his den older
than he was.
Jiichi had never meant to live this long. When
he'd joined his first gang, right after the War, he'd
just hoped to have enough to eat and some nice clothes
before he died a violent but very cinematic death.
But he'd been lucky, surviving clashes with the police
and rival gangs long enough to be noticed and
recruited by the Yakuza.
He'd outlived his parents, his respectable
brother, and most of his friends on the way to the
top. There'd been ups and downs, but eventually
Jiichi found himself the oyabun of the Arashi-Gumi,
the third most powerful Yakuza combine in Japan.
That's when his mistress had gotten pregnant.
Those had been dangerous times again, the police
cracking down because a politician needed to cover his
own ass after a scandal, and the Chinese making a move
on the territory. Jiichi hadn't thought he'd even
live to see the child's face. But he still married
the woman. To his surprise, he'd outlived his wife,
and the politician who'd been harassing him.
Out of concern for his young daughter, Jiichi had
"gone respectable." He still commanded the
Arashi-Gumi, but now it was behind the scenes, through
intermediaries. Oh, people still whispered the truth
of where his money came from, but in public Jiichi was
just a successful importer.
Two years ago, Jiichi had lost his daughter and
son-in-law (and what a trick that marriage had been to
arrange!) to an auto accident. He'd outlived nearly
everyone who'd been important to him, for good or ill.
And now--
There was a soft, hesitant knock at the door.
"Come in, Jun."
The boy who entered was pale, and his large eyes
seemed to reflect light like a cat's. His pajamas
were blue silk, decorated with white cranes. "I had a
dream, Grandfather."
Jiichi stretched out a wrinkled, bony hand.
"Come sit in my lap and tell me about it."
Jan was small even for his age, and his weight no
burden even for an old man. He looked up at his
grandfather solemnly.
"There will be three new ones in Japan soon. The
first one was a yuki-onna, a snow woman. She's
pretty, like the pictures of Mama."
Jiichi nodded. Cryokinesis, the books he'd read
called it.
"The second one was a dark-skinned boy. He
touched sick people and they got better."
"A healer? That'd be handy."
"I couldn't see what the third one looked like,
but that one wore a crown like a king. That one
wanted to hurt you, Grandfather. Hurt a whole lot of
people. You have to try to get one of the other two
to protect you, because I won't be here to."
Jiichi hugged his grandson close. "It's
happening so soon? Do you know exactly when?"
"No, Grandfather. But soon. Too soon." Jun's
body trembled, and tears fell from his eyes. "I don't
want to die! I love you, Grandfather, and you'll be
all alone! Please promise me you'll find those two so
one of them can protect you."
Jiichi stroked Jun's hair. "I promise. I love
you too, Jun, and I wish I could die in your place."
"No, Grandfather, you have to live. Remember, I
told you that after my very first dream."
Jiichi remembered. The night after his parents'
death, the boy had begun having prophetic dreams. And
the first one said that there was a reason for the old
man to live so long, and go on living. They didn't
know what that reason was, but all Jun's dreams had
come true so far.
"Yes, I remember. Dry your tears and go back to
bed. We'll go fishing in the morning. You like
fishing, don't you?"
"Yep! G'night, Grandfather." Jun scurried off.
Jiichi reached for his phone. It was time to
take advantage of being a crime lord. He'd have those
espers, or heads would roll.
* * * * * *
* * *
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock.
BRRRNG!
Retsuko's hand shot out and cut off the alarm.
She was up and across the hall into the bathroom
before anyone could get to it, a habit she'd acquired
when her brother still lived at home. Ren's departure
for college this spring had made their cramped
apartment seem positively roomy. She didn't miss him
though; he came home every weekend to get laundry
done.
By the time Retsuko was finished washing, her
parents were awake, and she hurried to get dressed.
The yellow and white fuku was cute, but had earned
Bandatchi Senior High School the nickname "Banana
High." She plaited her shoulder-length hair with a
red ribbon running through it.
"I should have red hair, school rules or no
school rules! But hey, only two and a half years
until I get to college, and then I can shave my head
if I want!"
She gave a thumbs-up to her poster of Psychic
Warrior Flamberge and hurried to the family room.
Her father was doing paperwork already while
eating. "Good morning, Retsuko. Sleep well?"
"Fine, Dad."
"We're having toast and eggs over easy this
morning," said Retsuko's mother. "Strawberry jam as
usual?"
"Sure, Mom. Morning!" they had the same thing
for breakfast almost every morning. Ritsuko's father
hadn't married her mother for cooking skill.
"Love is the best sauce," he always said. For a
workaholic, he sure could be sappy.
Retsuko made short work of her breakfast. "Gotta
go go go!"
"Bye dear, pick up some milk on your way home,"
said her mother.
Father called, "And remember, you're a Hinotori,
and that's worth its weight in gold!"
"Sure thing, Dad!"
Retsuko ran down the stairs to the next floor two
at a time. She zoomed down the hall and screeched to
a halt in front of #16. Two knocks, pause, one knock.
"Coming!" A few seconds later, the door opened
to reveal Retsuko's best friend, Iiko Shiawase. Iiko
wore her hair as short as the school would allow, tied
up with a black ribbon. Black, of course, was Iiko's
favorite color. She still had some rice around her
mouth.
"Yo, Iiko." Retsuko made a wiping motion.
"Oops." Iiko whipped out a black hankie and
fixed her face. "Morning!"
"You watch Psychic Warrior Flamberge last night?"
"Nah. My folks wanted to watch that Italian
movie on NHK. So why don't you tell me about it as we
go, Rekko?"
"Well, the Saturnians were using their Evolvo
Rays to turn fish into sea vampires, and..."
Retsuko's recitation of the TV program's details took
most of their walk to school.
Bandatchi's campus was already filled with
students, the yellow uniforms of the girls standing
out against the boys' dark blue.
"Flamberge is okay, I guess, but I like Heartache
High better," said Iiko. "I like my romance a little
more obvious. Ooh, look, it's Ken!"
Both girls put on dreamy expressions as the
senior passed.
"He's so handsome," breathed Retsuko. "Ken
Kogane, captain of the soccer team, president of the
future businessmen's club, so well mannered..."
"And don't forget filthy rich," reminded Iiko.
"Ohh, yeah, that too. It's a pity he--"
"Would never go out with losers like you," came a
new but painfully familiar voice.
The girls turned around.
Retsuko put on a little sneer to match the
newcomer's. "I was going to say `--has such an awful
sister,' Yuri."
"Have a care, pyromaniac. Your fathers'
livelihood hangs in the balance."
Retsuko didn't really believe that Kogane
Technologies would fire people just because the
owner's daughter had a snit. But she didn't doubt
that Yuri could make trouble for her and Iiko's
fathers. So she took a step backwards as Yuri passed.
The rich girl chuckled. "That's better, Retsuko.
Remember, some of us are born to lead, and others to
be ground into the dirt."
Retsuko could feel her ears burning, turning red
as they always did when she was angry. Iiko's hand
was on her shoulder.
The short-haired girl whispered, "It's not worth
it, Rekko. Miss `Kagami' will get hers, just wait."
Retsuko smiled a bit at the nickname. Perhaps
the biggest reason she and Yuri had instantly disliked
each other when they met at the beginning of the
school year was that they were nearly identical in
appearance. The teachers often mistook them for each
other, despite Yuri wearing a gold headband (real
gold, supposedly) and not braiding her hair.
And Yuri was very sensitive about being mistaken
for anyone else, especially someone so far below her
social station. According to the grapevine, she'd
begged her father to go to an exclusive girls' school,
but he'd insisted she try and live in "the real
world."
The warning bell sounded, and the students rushed
to get to class.
* * * * * *
* * *
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock.
Lieutenant Dai Baragawa shook his watch, and it
stopped ticking altogether. Definitely broken. He'd
have to get one of those digital ones.
Still, he was in plenty of time for his briefing.
Dai straightened his jacket again, glad that he'd had
his dress uniform pressed just yesterday. The new
assignment had come as a complete surprise.
The sergeant acting as a secretary cleared her
throat. "The colonel will see you now."
"Thank you." Dai walked from the spartan outer
office to Colonel Shakugi's inner sanctum.
The office was only slightly more personalized
than its foyer, with a picture on the colonel's desk
Dai assumed was the older man's family, and a Hokusai
print on the wall.
Colonel Shakugi was standing behind his desk. He
looked to be about fifty by Dai's guess, with hair
greying from the back forwards, and a square face.
What little Dai had been able to find out about his
new commander before the meeting said the man had been
a boxer in his youth, and his build still suggested
it.
Dai saluted, and the colonel returned it.
"Lieutenant Dai Baragawa reporting as ordered, Colonel
Shakugi. Here is my paperwork."
The colonel accepted the folder and set it on his
desk. "At ease, Lieutenant." He looked the newcomer
up and down. "Well, I see you're as handsome as your
file photo suggested. That could be helpful."
Dai tried to hide his confusion, but couldn't
help saying, "Sir?" He wasn't used to getting
compliments--from men.
"Tell me, Lieutenant, what do you know about
Project Hanabi?"
"Not a whole lot. The scuttlebutt is that it's
some sort of black ops program, so secret even the
Americans don't know about it. From the name,
something to do with explosives." Dai fought the urge
to scratch the back of his head.
"Actually, the Americans do know about it, we
formed Project Hanabi as a response to their similar
program. Have you ever been tested for psychic
potential?"
"Yes, all the new recruits are, but it's kind of
silly, isn't it? I mean ESP and stuff like that is
just comic book...you're going to tell me it's real,
aren't you?"
The colonel nodded. "Correct. The purpose of
Project Hanabi is to identify and recruit individuals
with psychic abilities to work for the government.
You, specifically, have been chosen as our new
recruiting officer."
Dai was still a bit confused. "But if psychic
powers really exist, why haven't I ever heard anything
about it?"
"You've no doubt seen bits and pieces of
information in the media, inexplicable events, unusual
people who do amazing things once and never are heard
from again." The colonel turned towards the print.
"We in Project Hanabi help cover up a lot of the
evidence of espers, of course. But there's another
reason they aren't heard from much."
He turned back towards Dai. "Psychic powers come
with a price, Lieutenant. No verified esper we've
documented lives beyond five years from the time their
powers emerge."
"So that's why it's called `Hanabi.' Like
fireworks, they're spectacular, but burn themselves
out quickly. Right, Colonel?"
"Right. The most common cause is brain aneurysm,
but we've lost a few to more spectacular demises."
The colonel pushed a button on his desk, and a wall
panel slid up, revealing a video screen. A second
button started a tape.
The scene was a medical laboratory, filled with
the usual lab-coated technicians. There was a woman
in perhaps her early twenties in the middle of the
picture, wearing a patient's robe and with a number of
wires attached to her body with tape.
"We were lucky enough to catch this one as it
happened," commented the colonel dryly. "The
subject's ability was making herself intangible."
On screen, the lab techs continued watching
various monitors, and one said something to the woman.
She shimmered, at least that's what it looked like to
Dai, and all the wires fell off. Except that to fall
like that, some of them would have had to fall through
her body. And that would be impossible.
The techs looked upset, but resigned; apparently
this had happened before. But then the woman's
expression changed. She was obviously in pain, and
shortly fear. She was looking at her hand, and as Dai
watched horrified, the hand began to dissolve.
The technicians began to run around in panic, and
sometimes blocked the camera's view. But it was clear
from the glimpses Dai got that nothing could be done.
The woman's body disappeared piece by piece over about
five minutes, the last bits remaining some internal
organs he couldn't identify.
The colonel stabbed a button, and the screen went
dark, the wall panel sliding shut again. Dai let out
a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Since the life span of an esper is so short, we
feel that the best use of their powers is in the
service of their country. Our country. So we try to
recruit them as soon as possible into Project Hanabi."
The colonel flexed a hand. "Unfortunately, there's
no way to detect an esper with the technology we
currently have. So you'll doubtless have more wild
goose chases than actual recruitments. And there are
the other organizations that would love to have their
own pet espers. And you'll have to deal with the fear
many of the espers have that we'll be using them in
inhuman experiments."
Dai blinked. "We won't, right?"
Colonel Shakugi smiled. "Not anymore. Waste of
resources."
* * * * * *
* * *
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock.
Retsuko stared at the classroom clock, willing
the hands to go faster. Biology was just the most
boring class in the world, except for the lab work,
which was gross. Sadly, the hands didn't seem to want
to cooperate.
"Miss Hinotori!" The biology teacher's voice
snapped her attention forward.
"Yes?"
"What part of the human body grows up to six
times its normal size when excited?"
Fortunately, Retsuko had heard that joke last
week. "The pupil of the eye, sir."
"Very good. And why does the pupil appear
black?"
Retsuko began to sweat. Maybe she should have
been paying a bit more attention. "Well, it's
because, umm..."
Taking her eyes off the clock seemed to have sped
up the hands, because it was at that moment that the
bell rang.
"I'll expect your answer at the beginning of
tomorrow's class, Miss Hinotori. And if you aren't
going to listen when I'm speaking, you should review
the text ahead of time. Class dismissed." The
teacher turned and began erasing the chalkboard as
most of the students filed out for club activities.
Retsuko waited for a few moments while Iiko
finished taking notes. Her friend took what Retsuko
considered an unhealthy interest in anatomy. "Can we
study together tonight?"
"Sure. You'll help me with those transitive verb
drills, right?"
Retsuko nodded. "Let's go!"
The halls were already clearing, as the students
disappeared into club rooms or off campus entirely.
Too soon, they were in front of the "goth band" door.
"I'm really looking forward to today's
rehearsal," gushed Iiko. "Ryu wrote a new song about
waking up in the middle of the night shaking, and
we're really starting to click on it. I'll play it
for you tonight, Rekko."
Retsuko shuddered, but kept smiling. "Great!"
She wished Iiko would use her lovely singing voice for
happy songs for a change.
After she saw Iiko off, Retsuko hurried towards
her own club. Swimming was nice, despite one little
problem, but she would much rather still have been in
Chemistry Club. It had only been a little fire,
really. Very pretty, though.
Running late, Retsuko rushed into the locker room
and struggled into her school swimsuit. She took a
little more time to make sure her bathing cap was
securely over her hair.
She was still ahead of Sakura Agama out to the
pool, though. The chubby girl was a good swimmer, but
notorious for slowness on land.
Coach Chiro, a tall woman with a forbidding face,
nodded in their direction. "Fall in, girls. We'll be
practicing dives today."
Retsuko managed to maneuver Sakura between her
and Yuri. Yuri was the one flaw of Swim Club. With a
swim cap hiding their hair, she and Retsuko looked
more alike than ever, so Yuri took every opportunity
to try to undercut her rival. At least that's how
Retsuko saw it.
The coach gave the standard warm-up speech,
emphasizing the upcoming meet with Roppongi High.
"Okay, girls. Line up. Simple jackknife dives to
start. Remember, the judges like clean form, so no
showboating. Agawa, come up from the back. You're
first today."
Yuri sniffed. No doubt she'd wanted to be first.
At least she'd stopped calling Sakura "fat cow" where
the coach could hear her.
Retsuko, about halfway back in the line, let her
mind wander. Yuri was so annoying. If only Retsuko
had magic powers, or a giant robot, or pyrokinesis
like Psychic Warrior Flamberge! Then she could kick
butt on that stuck-up--
There was a splash, and the line moved up one.
"Very good, Agawa. Kogane, wait a moment, your
shoulder strap is out of place," came the coach's
voice.
Oh, yes, Flamberge's powers would be nice,
Retsuko thought. She'd set Yuri's hair on fire, not
enough to hurt her, of course, but give her a good
scare. She kept the mental image, focusing on it,
feeling the imaginary power--
There was a splash, and a scream.
Retsuko opened her eyes. Yuri was thrashing
around in the pool, not at all like her normal smooth
style.
"Kogane! Stop fooling around!"
"Help me, Coach!" Yuri's voice sounded like she
was actually in trouble.
The coach knelt down, extending her hand to Yuri,
who took it. The girl was pulled out of the pool, and
deposited herself on hands and knees, shivering.
Retsuko could hear her teeth chattering.
"What's the matter, Yuri?" asked one of the
girls.
"The w-water! I-it's c-c-cold!" she said,
pointing back at the pool.
"Don't be silly," said Sakura. "This is a heated
pool." She stuck her hand in, and her jaw dropped.
"What in--?"
Retsuko kneeled and tried it herself. The water
was ice cold. And as she watched, a thin layer of ice
formed around where she had her hand stuck in. She
pulled her hand out quickly.
"How did that happen?" she wondered.
* * * * * *
* * *
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Notes: This possible Impro was inspired by
such comic book series as Mai the Psychic Girl, Akira,
Harmageddon, and Strikeforce Morituri.
Comments, questions and MSTs welcomed.
SKJAM!
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